How to play Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp right now

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which was announced last night, feels and looks like a full scale Animal Crossing title, so naturally folks everywhere can't wait to get their hands on it. Sadly you'll have to wait until the end of November for the worldwide release . . . or you can get in on the soft launch in Australia.

If you don't live in Australia, fear not. There are other ways to sneak your way into the soft launch. Here's how you can get set up with Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp sooner rather than later.

For iOS

To gain access to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, you're going to need to first create a new Apple ID with Australian permissions. Here's how to do it.

1. Log out of your current account

We're making a new account, so log out of your old one. Go to your iPhone's settings and tap your name and e-mail at the very top of the screen. This opens your account settings, so with that done, scroll to the bottom of this new menu and tap "Sign Out".

2. Make a new Apple ID

Open the App Store on your phone and try to download a free game or app. Upon doing so, the App Store will prompt you to sign in or create a new account. Choose "Create New Apple ID".

Fill out the information as you normally would, however when prompted to enter your region, you'll want to choose "Australia" rather than your current country of residence. You'll then be prompted to enter a valid address and zip code. We recommend finding one on Google Maps.

Important: Choose "none" when selecting your payment method. Otherwise, you'll need a verifiable Australian credit card.

3. Create a new e-mail address

When prompted to enter your current e-mail address, you'll need to use one that isn't currently attached to an existing iTunes account. If you don't have an e-mail account that fits this description, make a new one quickly on Gmail or another freebie service.

4. Verify your account

Once you've completed the registration process, verify your account with the code sent to your e-mail address. From there, you're free to download Animal Crossing on the Australian App Store.

Bonus tips

Because Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is only out in Australia at the moment, it can only be linked to Australian Nintendo accounts until the game goes into full launch at the end of November. Until then, you won't be able to participate linked events or add friends via your Nintendo account.

For Android

You can find the APK for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp if you do a bit of searching, but do to the nature of some of the sites distributing the file and the possibility of downloading a tampered file that could compromise your Android device, we cannot endorse any sources for you to download the game.

Have you givenAnimal Crossing: Pocket Camp a go yet? Share your thoughts in the comments.